Smartmatic vows to solve transmission failures
Buys 5,000 satellite antennas
MANILA, Philippines – Smartmatic has acquired satellite antennas for areas in the Philippines that have no stable telecommunication capacity, a company official said.
“We already acquired 5,000 satellite antennas,” said Smartmatic International Sales Director Cesar Flores during ABS-CBN News Channel's (ANC's) E-Leksyon Forum held Friday at ABS-CBN's Dolphy Theater.
Smartmatic is the Venezuelan company that won the bid for the country's first nationwide automated elections. It is supplying Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will automatically count the votes cast.
Lack of a telecommunications signal or GSM signal, would hinder the electronic transmission of results from the precincts to the municipal, provincial, and national canvassing.
“What happened to Taguig and Pateros is just that,” Flores said, referring to the field tests done Friday, which had problems transmitting the results.
(Know more about the results of the field testing of the machines: What went wrong, right on 2nd poll automation field test)
Flores said that these field tests are being done to anticipate problems that must be addressed. He also said transmission problems had been expected.
“There will be issues. It is naïve to think that nothing will happen. The important thing is that we must know what to do,” he said.
To address the transmission glitches, Smartmatic opted to acquire satellite antennas.
“If you cannot resort to GSM transmission, then you need satellite transmission, or resort to a contingency transmission,” Flores said.
He did not, however, elaborate on the contingency transmission.
Antenna sharing of clustered precincts
| How electronic transmission of results works |
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MANILA, Philippines - Last September, Comelec Director Jose Tolentino showed the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines how the electronic transmission of results should happen in the May 10, 2010 elections. “Instead of the physical transfer (of the counted ballots), these (results) will be electronically transmitted to the next level,” he said. These levels are: 1) precinct; 2) municipal or city; 3) provincial; and, 4) Congress. >>more |
Based on Smartmatic’s site surveys of network availabilities in the various precincts nationwide, only 65% of the total number of polling centers have stable telecommunication capacity.
There will be 76,000 clustered precincts or polling centers in the country for the May 10 polls.
The remaining 35%, or around 24,000 clustered precincts, will need satellite antennas for secure electronic transmission of the results.
Flores said they are still looking into which precincts need the satellite antennas, and how the precincts can share the antennas.
Because of the results of their site surveys, Flores said that they were not expecting that 90-95% of the transmission, during the 2 field tests, would go smoothly.
The areas where the tests failed would have to resort to electronic transmission using satellite antennas.
Will extreme conditions destroy machines?
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said mock elections will be done on February 6 to test whether the machines can withstand extreme conditions.
He said the testing and sealing of the machines will also be done 3 to 7 days before the elections in the designated polling center of the machine.
Flores said the machines they have manufactured have undergone “very strict testing.”
He said they have conducted elections in other countries that have more extreme weather conditions, such as in the very hot Amazon jungle, and in mountains with very low temperatures.
The PCOS machines that Smartmatic manufactured were left for 24 hours in a place with 95% humidity, Flores added.
Antonio Tinio, chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, pointed out that during field tests, there will be no transmission testing.
His worry is that although the machine might work during the tests, transmission will not.
Both Comelec and Smartmatic did not have an answer for this in the forum.
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MASISISI BA NINYO ANG BAYAN KUNG WALA SILANG TIWALA?
Mga sinungaling at mga mandaraya ang namumuno sa ating bayan at wala ni isa sa kanila ang nakukulong o napaparusahan. Paano ka ba naman matutuwa diyan, sila ang nagsisiyaman samantalang ang mga mamamayan ay patuloy na naghihirap?
KUNG MASAMA ANG LOOB NINYO SA MGA KOMENTO DITO, DUN NA LANG KAYO MAGBASA SA MGA DYARYONG SIPSIP KAY PANDAK! KAMAGANAK YATA KAYO NG MGA AMPATUWAN ANO?
PCOS MACHINES WILL READ THE BALLOTS
Kaya lang baka ibang ballot ang babasahin. Comelec has ordered 7,200 extra pcos machines na puwedeng gamitin sa pandaraya. Ang malaking problema diyan, walang encryption ang mga balotang gagamitin ng boboto. Parang lottery ticket lang yan na may bubble tapos ipapabasa sa pcos.
HINDI YANG PCOS ANG PROBLEMA KUNDI ITONG MGA COMELEC OFFICIALS NA PULOS MGA APPOINTEE NI PANDAK, LAHAT SILA IISA ANG MUKHA AT MAY PRESYONG NAKATATAK.
HELLO GARCI!
In the "computer" world...
In the computer world. if the computer fails to WORK when tested the 1st time..."look for a new unit"! Computers are designed to perform all the time!!!
I am not worried on the SMARTMATIC machines not sending the reports via the TELCOS..."I am worried that the PCOS failed to read the BALLOTS"!!!
Maybe COMELEC should go back to "MANUAL" voting for 2010 ang just prepare for total automation in 2012.
is it really the solution?
Maganda yan at hightech na ang sistema ng botohan natin,xempre milyong piso ang halaga..counting will process automatically as what they say..pero ang tanong kung may mapatunayang ngnakaw ng boto ay kaya bang mauimbistigahan at maparusahan?tanong ko lang..bakit sa time ni arroyo at fpj election,nung klarong klaro na hello garci scandal ay hanggang ngaun ay wlang naparusahan at walang nangyari?di kaya ang maboting pagtoonan ng pansin natin ay kung paano maimplementa ang batas na may ngipin?na walang pinapanigan?kung sino man ang ngkasala dapat ay parusahan?bakit c jok2x bolante ng Fertilizer scam na kaalyado din ni arroyo,milyon milyong halaga ang naibulsa,before sa nasa ibang bansa pa c bolante atat na atat ang mga senador na maimbestigahan c bolante,bakit pagdating sa pinas ay walang nangyari?ngipin ang kailanagan...Halimbawa ang saudi may ngipin ang batas,sa mga tindahan o mga grocery wlang mga guwardiya na o tindera na nagsusunod sa customer palagi o ngbabantay na baka magnakaw dahil takot ang magnakaw dahil may ngipin ang batas,walang nangegesnatch o mangrape dahil takot ang tao na mapogotan ng ulo..kung meron man bihira lang..di kaya yang mga bagay na yan dapat natin simulan?bakit c ecleo pinatay ang asawa at minasaker ang pamilya at ngaun ay nakalaya na?di kaya dahil maraming mga botante na makuha sa kanyang miyembro?napakaraming botas ang batas ng pilipinas kung subaybayan natin ang mga malalaking kaso na nangyayari sa ating bansa..
Naku, magiging instant
Naku, magiging instant millionaires mga hackers this coming election! Pretty sure, these TRAPOs will bring their dirty cheating style to the next level and hire hackers to get into the SmartMatic system to alter the result to their favor.
It's alarming that at this point, Smartmatic could not validate the functionality of their tranmission system? Eh that's where hackers can easily get their hands into. Wondering how secure/encrypted would the transmission system be...
Ill-breed individuals
Sa mga nag-comment ng negative hinggil dito sa automated election are ill-breed in nature. Kayo yong mga taong walang pagbabago. Let's adopt the change and let's work on the glitches. Kaya nga may mga random and mock testing na gagawin to check kung effective ba ang mga machines na binili. Paano tayo uusad ng automated election kung hindi natin umpisahan. Mag-isip-isip kayo ng may kabuluhan kay sa puro negatibo na komentaryo. Philippines will not grow if people like you dwells in that country. You rather die or disappear for the philippines to progress. Amen.
OK lang yan
OK lang yan at least na umpisahan na yan at sa mga susunod na election mas magiging smooth na ang implementation ng system
GANITO DAPAT ANG MGA BALITA PALAGING POSITIVE
GANITO DAPAT ANG BALITA PALAGING POSITIVE AND OPTIMISTIC. PALAGAING MAY SOLUTION HINDI KATULAD NG BALITA NG ABS-CBN NEGATIVE AYONG SA BUSISING OFFICIAL NA HINDI PINANGALANAN. MABUTI NA LANG MGA PANGALAN ANG BUSISING ABS-CBN REPORTER NA BINALITA ANG NEGATIVENESS TUNGKOL FAILURE NG ELECTION. DAPAT KINAKATUSAN ANG GANITONG REPORTER. SIGI PO.
There Is No Perfect System
Nothing is foolproof. There will always be problems in any system that we implement. The important thing is that we have a back up plan in all of this. A fall back is necessary at all times.
Poll Automation
I think we should all be worried with this development and I would like to detail below:
1.0 The Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that are now with Comelec of around 82,000 not every one has been tested if these machines will perform its function. How sure are we that it will read our votes correctly. Is there a possibility that the design of the machine is part of a Trojan scheme where a button or switch can alter the reading of votes. None from the opposition has been asked to witness the testing of these machines.The machines will be delivered to the polling places without any test? We cannot expect every teachers to be an IT expert to know if the machines has not been tampered.
2.0 How sure are we that the transmissions of election returns cannot be hacked with the way the tests are going on, I have my feeling that the system is not tamper proof. The hackers can play with the election results. If the Comelec can assure us that there system is almost the same as paying thru the Internet using credit cards, then we can accept if not we should not push the automation because it will be disaster and no one will accept tainted result.